The weight of an instrument is often a concern for musicians. In particular, musicians who move while playing their instrument or who must transport their instrument regularly from one place to another place very often want to reduce the weight of the instrument. In that regard, there have been many attempts to reduce instrument weight to overcome these concerns. With respect to stringed instruments, one way to reduce the weight of the instrument is to reduce the weight or density of the materials used in its construction. However, lightweight materials are often an inadequate alternative because they tend to fail under the stresses inherent in the design and use of the instrument. In particular, stringed instruments generally require fairly taut strings in order to vibrate and produce a desired tone. As a string is tightened, various stresses are produced in the instrument, including bending stresses. Lightweight materials often lack the strength that is sufficient to withstand these stresses, and fail as a result.
What is needed, therefore, is a system that tends to reduce problems such as those described above, at least in part.